Shades of Passion

Shades of Passion - By Virna DePaul



PROLOGUE

THE MAN CAME TO BETH just when she needed him most.

Just when the pain of existence became too sharp to bear.

She looked into eyes that morphed into rich landscapes, green hills and golden sunsets that stretched far beyond the back of his head, going on for an eternity.

Those eyes beckoned her, promising an end to her suffering. Tempting her with not just peace, but infinite joy. Love. Acceptance.

Only there was love here. Hope.

Hadn’t someone told her that? Someone she trusted? Believed? Hadn’t she said the world was beautiful?

The man held out his hand. In his palm lay a pink satin ribbon. “The world can be beautiful,” he said. “Depending on which direction you travel.”

I’ve traveled so long, Beth thought. I’m tired.

“I know you’re tired,” the man said. “Come with me. I’ll carry you. I’ll let you rest.”

His voice matched the hypnotic beauty of his eyes. It was a deep rumble that resonated throughout her body, enveloping her in a comforting hug the same way her mother’s arms used to wrap around her. But her mother, her champion, was gone now. Cancer had taken her. It had eaten away at her insides and left Beth alone, with only her father for company. She didn’t want her father. She didn’t trust him.

There was another woman, though. Another woman who fought for her. Wasn’t there?

Beth struggled to remember, but her vision tunneled, focusing her attention on the long length of ribbon in the man’s hand. She reached out and stroked it. It felt smooth. Soft. And when Beth pressed the ribbon against her lips, the memory of her mother’s kisses made her weep.

“You’re not alone,” the man said. “I’m with you. Part of you. Part of everyone. I’ll bring you to your mother. She’s waiting. All you need to do is trust me.”

Beth’s tears dried up, and her grief turned to resolve.

Trust me. Trust us. Trust me.

The man’s visage blurred. Morphed into one of a female with blond hair and green eyes.

I know her, Beth thought. She’s helped me. She can help me again.

I’m part of everyone, the man had said. I’m part of you.

Which meant Beth wasn’t alone. Not anymore. And she never would be.

Not if she trusted him.

Following the man’s instructions, Beth held the ribbon between her hands, then looped it around her throat.

“It will hurt at first,” the man warned.

Beth hesitated. Where had the woman gone?

“Don’t fight it. It’s like being born again. You’ll close your eyes and sleep for a time. But when you wake up, I’ll be there. And so will your mother. You’ll finally be happy. No one will hurt you ever again.”

“I hurt,” Beth whispered. “I don’t want to hurt anymore.”

So she did what the man said until she couldn’t breathe. Until she felt pain. Until she felt fear.

But just as he promised, it didn’t last long.

I’m being born again, she told herself as the darkness closed in.

And this time, the world will be beautiful.